I entered the Share house on September the 21st a Saturday. I entered with just the cloths I had on my back.
I had left my relationship with my girlfriend of 6 years by walking out the door and leaving everything behind, furniture,T.Vs , stereos, all the things you buy when you are together for 6 years. I just left it all behind.
As I said I walked into the Share house with just the cloths on my back.
I was shown the detox room I was to stay in given a rules sheet to read and then put to bed. An hour later and then for every hour after I had my blood pressure taken and examined to make sure that I was doing well. If the shakes got so bad I was given 5 milligrams of Valium to calm me. I was fed three times a day with food prepared by the other residents of the Share house. The staff showed care and understanding, I found out some staff were recovering alcoholics and drug addicts. On day 4 of my detox one staff member (Margie from Manchester) I was totally confused I entered a detox place in Missoula Montana and somehow I was in Manchseter England. It was not so, Margie was living right here in Missoula. She asked me if I was serious about doing something about my alcoholism, I answered "yes I was very serious" and so a bed was made available for me in the treatment part of the Share house. There were 10 others. 6 men and 3 women. We all had our chores to do each day, certain times that we had to be out of bed 7.30 weekdays 9.00 weekends. We were assigned a case manager with whom we met with twice a week. We would commit to goals that were set between the case manager and ourselves, and were expected to meet them before moving forward to an upper level. Upper levels had more privilege's. After a week I was to go to what was called I.O.P. or intense out patient therapy. With a Montana board certified therapist 3 times a week for three hours per night. It was group sessions with anywhere from 10 to 12 others in the group. The group consisted of other sharehouse members, people who had been court ordered for D.U.I.s and others as part of legal sentencing. I was not allowed to leave the Share house alone the first 2 months I could attend A.A. meetings as long as I was with a peer. Everyday we had to give a B.A. (breath test) one in the morning and one at night. We were assigned a night that we had to cook for the house with a fellow resident(breakfast and lunch was up to you to fix yourself) If staff thought you were doing well you would get what is known as a accomplishment if you didn't do assigned chores or misbehaved you were given a concern. I shared a room with a guy from Wyoming a decent chap who had been in 3 other facility's . The rooms were clean and comfortable. friendships developed, advice was shared between residents. I read constantly to relieve the boredom that would be with you everyday but I was totally committed to make this work. I went to A.A. meetings every morning at 6:30 it was a very good group full of support and compassion, I learned a lot at these meetings. After 2months my case manager thought I was ready to be able to leave the premises on my own if I wanted to. I asked if I could return to work , to which he thought would not be in my best interest just yet but would consider in another month. I asked if I could do some volunteer work, he thought that would be a good alternative to work. I called a man I knew at the Poverello Centre a soup kitchen and help centre in downtown Missoula, so each day I would get there at 11.30am and serve food to the homeless until 2.30pm. This was a great help for me I could look around and say to myself "There but for the grace of God go I "and it was oh so true. I was gaining weight left right and centre. In just 2 months I had gained back 40 pounds of what I lost when I was out drinking in my motel room. I was able to look into myself to see what I had become, the mistakes in life I made. I was for once able to see a little bit of who I was. I was becoming stronger both physically and emotionally. Residents came and went some without really trying some graduated and moved out, others came in. It was very lonely at times. Most residents had visitors on the weekends, however I had nobody around these parts who could visit. My two brothers being in the UK and my sister living in Belgium.
I was able to share at group things that I had never shared with anybody, things I had bottled up for years. It felt so good to get them out of my system and let them go.The staff at Share house are just about the most decent human beings I have ever come across in my life. They cared about you, helped and encouraged you whenever possible. After 3.1/2 months I was allowed to return to work on a part time basis(I had protected my job by calling and requesting 14 weeks as part of the Family leave act) I really enjoyed being back to work. People asked me were I had been all this time to which I replied that I had entered an alcohol treatment facility for the treatment of alcoholism. Some shook my hand, some just stood there with there tongues hanging out not quite sure what to say and some never spoke to me again, but at least I had nothing to hide or try to cover up. I just put it out there for them to deal with not me
When I left to go to the Share house I was a cashier at Lowes a month later I was asked to take the position of Head Cashier which I did. I would catch the bus to and from work each day and go back home to the Share house. The Share house also has a set of 6 studio apartments that it overseas they were left to the state of Montana by a lady who's husband was a recovering alcoholic if a resident graduates from the Share house and shows he is fit to move into these apartments(which means finding a job, paying rent, volunteers to random urine analysis tests then he can write a letter of intent which must be approved by the board of the Share house and the state of Montana. I will write part 3 sometime this afternoon, and thank you for your kind words. Sean...
I had left my relationship with my girlfriend of 6 years by walking out the door and leaving everything behind, furniture,T.Vs , stereos, all the things you buy when you are together for 6 years. I just left it all behind.
As I said I walked into the Share house with just the cloths on my back.
I was shown the detox room I was to stay in given a rules sheet to read and then put to bed. An hour later and then for every hour after I had my blood pressure taken and examined to make sure that I was doing well. If the shakes got so bad I was given 5 milligrams of Valium to calm me. I was fed three times a day with food prepared by the other residents of the Share house. The staff showed care and understanding, I found out some staff were recovering alcoholics and drug addicts. On day 4 of my detox one staff member (Margie from Manchester) I was totally confused I entered a detox place in Missoula Montana and somehow I was in Manchseter England. It was not so, Margie was living right here in Missoula. She asked me if I was serious about doing something about my alcoholism, I answered "yes I was very serious" and so a bed was made available for me in the treatment part of the Share house. There were 10 others. 6 men and 3 women. We all had our chores to do each day, certain times that we had to be out of bed 7.30 weekdays 9.00 weekends. We were assigned a case manager with whom we met with twice a week. We would commit to goals that were set between the case manager and ourselves, and were expected to meet them before moving forward to an upper level. Upper levels had more privilege's. After a week I was to go to what was called I.O.P. or intense out patient therapy. With a Montana board certified therapist 3 times a week for three hours per night. It was group sessions with anywhere from 10 to 12 others in the group. The group consisted of other sharehouse members, people who had been court ordered for D.U.I.s and others as part of legal sentencing. I was not allowed to leave the Share house alone the first 2 months I could attend A.A. meetings as long as I was with a peer. Everyday we had to give a B.A. (breath test) one in the morning and one at night. We were assigned a night that we had to cook for the house with a fellow resident(breakfast and lunch was up to you to fix yourself) If staff thought you were doing well you would get what is known as a accomplishment if you didn't do assigned chores or misbehaved you were given a concern. I shared a room with a guy from Wyoming a decent chap who had been in 3 other facility's . The rooms were clean and comfortable. friendships developed, advice was shared between residents. I read constantly to relieve the boredom that would be with you everyday but I was totally committed to make this work. I went to A.A. meetings every morning at 6:30 it was a very good group full of support and compassion, I learned a lot at these meetings. After 2months my case manager thought I was ready to be able to leave the premises on my own if I wanted to. I asked if I could return to work , to which he thought would not be in my best interest just yet but would consider in another month. I asked if I could do some volunteer work, he thought that would be a good alternative to work. I called a man I knew at the Poverello Centre a soup kitchen and help centre in downtown Missoula, so each day I would get there at 11.30am and serve food to the homeless until 2.30pm. This was a great help for me I could look around and say to myself "There but for the grace of God go I "and it was oh so true. I was gaining weight left right and centre. In just 2 months I had gained back 40 pounds of what I lost when I was out drinking in my motel room. I was able to look into myself to see what I had become, the mistakes in life I made. I was for once able to see a little bit of who I was. I was becoming stronger both physically and emotionally. Residents came and went some without really trying some graduated and moved out, others came in. It was very lonely at times. Most residents had visitors on the weekends, however I had nobody around these parts who could visit. My two brothers being in the UK and my sister living in Belgium.
I was able to share at group things that I had never shared with anybody, things I had bottled up for years. It felt so good to get them out of my system and let them go.The staff at Share house are just about the most decent human beings I have ever come across in my life. They cared about you, helped and encouraged you whenever possible. After 3.1/2 months I was allowed to return to work on a part time basis(I had protected my job by calling and requesting 14 weeks as part of the Family leave act) I really enjoyed being back to work. People asked me were I had been all this time to which I replied that I had entered an alcohol treatment facility for the treatment of alcoholism. Some shook my hand, some just stood there with there tongues hanging out not quite sure what to say and some never spoke to me again, but at least I had nothing to hide or try to cover up. I just put it out there for them to deal with not me
When I left to go to the Share house I was a cashier at Lowes a month later I was asked to take the position of Head Cashier which I did. I would catch the bus to and from work each day and go back home to the Share house. The Share house also has a set of 6 studio apartments that it overseas they were left to the state of Montana by a lady who's husband was a recovering alcoholic if a resident graduates from the Share house and shows he is fit to move into these apartments(which means finding a job, paying rent, volunteers to random urine analysis tests then he can write a letter of intent which must be approved by the board of the Share house and the state of Montana. I will write part 3 sometime this afternoon, and thank you for your kind words. Sean...
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